


The Modern Prometheus

by albawrites



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Role Reversal, Canon-Typical Violence, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-23
Updated: 2018-07-23
Packaged: 2019-06-14 22:06:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,169
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15398526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/albawrites/pseuds/albawrites
Summary: Hank has been online for a pretty long time. He knows he's old, old enough to remember when Kamski still ran CyberLife. Frankly, at this rate, he's just waiting until CyberLife is done using him for beta tests so he can just deactivate in peace.With androids demanding their freedom and deviancy spreading as well as being placed as a partner for Detroit's youngest lieutenant, this is either the best time or the worst time for that.





	The Modern Prometheus

**Author's Note:**

> Well I'm back on my bullshit again, hello.
> 
> I've been seeing a ton of headcanons fly around regarding the role swap for Hank and Connor, and I absolutely LOVE the idea. So I have a few plans and figured I'd step out and give it a whirl.
> 
> A few things to note:  
> \- I'd seen a few people refer Hank as an HK800 or HK400. Neither really seemed to quite fit right, and I wanted to emphasize that he's old. Considering Carlos Ortiz's android was an HK400, I decided to just lower the number down a bit. This might indicate a bit to Hank's age and origins.  
> \- I loved the lighter idea. I have no idea who came up with it, but I really wanted to keep it in since it works well into what I want for Hank's backstory.  
> More notes to be added as the story progresses.

Flick, spin, open, switch on. Flame ignites.

The ride up the elevator takes no time whatsoever, no more than a minute at most. It’s more than enough time for Hank to run through some of his memories, then his mission protocol. Though his eyes are open, it’s nothing more than glancing through old data. A lot has been taken from him, but he’s been left with that much.

Flick.

Tidying up the house, childish laughter. The smell of lavender.

Spin.

_Red, red, red, emergency._

Open.

Returned, repurposed.

Switch. On.

Reused, returned, repurposed.

Flame ignites.

The lighter is shut tight and shoved into a pocket. Just a few more floors and he’ll be arriving shortly to his destination.

****

Floor 70, doors slide open. Waiting for him in the hallway is one of the SWAT team members, announcing his arrival via radio, “Negotiator on site. Repeat, negotiator on sight.”

Sure, why not. He’s been a lot of things. Might as well add _negotiator_ under his belt too. Hank steps out as the man hurries off, and he takes in the general appearance of the expensive flat. There’s water all over the floor, undoubtedly from how the fish tank embedded to the left wall had been damaged. 

Distantly, he can hear the cry of a woman, “Please, I-- I can’t leave her!”

He can address that in a second. Instead, Hank picks up the photograph that’s on the stand to his right. Recently, he’d been given upgrades for real time access to data, so scanning faces of even photographs is done easily in seconds. One grown man, one grown woman, and a child.

**JOHN PHILLIPS**  
**BORN: 10/11/1999**

**CAROLINE PHILLIPS**  
**BORN: 05/23/2001**

**EMMA PHILLIPS**  
**BORN: 09/02/2028**

Once Hank had been informed that the mission involved a hostage, there’d been a suspicion it might end up involving a kid. Hank frowns a little, setting the photograph down, just in time to watch one of the SWATs lead Caroline out.

“Please!” she begs, grabbing onto Hank’s arm. “You have to save her! You--”

Horror dawns on her face. It’s not the first time he’s seen something like that.

“Why… why aren’t you sending a real person?!” Caroline sobs hysterically as she’s dragged away from the crime scene. She’s taken to the elevator, and the doors shut soon after. “ _Keep that thing away from my daughter!!_

As his eyes trail away from the closed elevator doors, he finds himself looking down at one of the fish that’d been a casualty from the tank’s shattering. 

**DWARF GOURAMI**  
_Trichogaster Lalius_  
**Origin: Ganges Delta, India**

“Poor sucker.” Carefully, he scoops the fish into the palm of his hand before dumping it back into the tank. A few seconds later, he watches the fish swim away. It brings some mild satisfaction.

As he takes a step back, Hank can get a better look at himself in the reflection of the tank’s glass. Over the years, he hasn’t looked all that different, but he could definitely name all of the parts in his body that’s been changed over the years. Still older looking than probably any other android, but it’s somethingsomething _aesthetic_ , making him look more flawed to make him trustworthy or whatever. It made sense a long time ago, doesn’t make much sense now, but if nothing else he’s glad they haven’t changed his face.

He could change his hair again, but he’s pretty okay with having the silver tint tied back into a short tail. It’s better than letting it fly around anyway without a care. Makes it look like he gives a damn anyway. The suit’s a bit much, but it’s fancier than anything else CyberLife’s crammed him into in these past few years, so who is he to complain?

And there it is, on the suit: **HK200**. He’s probably better dressed than most other androids. Nails in the professionalism, he supposes.

**FIND CAPTAIN ALLEN.**

“Boy, here we go,” Hank murmurs to himself.

It’s impossible not to hear the complaints as he heads further into the flat. He’s pretty damned sure that’s Captain Allen. 

It goes about as well as he expects, honestly. Captain Allen is far from helpful and has little to no information to even give Hank. Which really just leaves Hank to his own devices to figure out what ended up happening so he can solve this damned thing.

**UNDERSTAND WHAT HAPPENED.**  
**SAVE HOSTAGE AT ALL COSTS.**

No pressure, Hank thinks to himself. That probability percentage is _not_ looking great at the moment.

Other new prototype features have been installed into Hank, including analyzing evidence and a pre-construction process. Hardware and software upgrades aren’t too unusual, but there’s some state of the art shit in him now. Since he’s already in the bedroom, he figures there’s no time like the present. 

There are a series of things to find, primarily that the deviant in question grabbed the father’s gun. _What_ triggered that, he isn’t certain, but at least he has an idea on the weapon. Getting shot’s probably going to be real likely here, but Hank isn’t real concerned about it, not unless something happens to the little girl.

Nothing else looks important in the bedroom. No, it’s Emma’s room that makes shit turn for him. Her headphones are on and playing pop music, there is _no way_ she heard anything that happened. That, and the tablet that plays the last video Emma uploaded.

The deviant’s name is Daniel, and Emma absolutely adored him. 

Daniel. Daniel’s function is to housekeep, to help children, to look after them, and now he’s taken one hostage. The tablet almost breaks under Hank’s hand before he remembers to let it go, the echo of Emma’s blind cheer ringing in his head.

Childish laughter. The smell of lavender. Red. _Alarm._

Hank shoves his hand into his pocket and pulls out the lighter. He’ll multitask, use it to recalibrate his memories. Focus on the now. Flick, spin, open, switch on. Flame ignites.

There’s more that Hank finds: the dead first responder, and the indication that Emma has witnessed nearly everything. Poor girl. He absolutely needs to make sure she gets out of this alive. The found gun is definitely taken. Technically he shouldn’t have to, but technically Emma’s life is way more important right now anyway.

Hank pauses, and finds the body of the father. Shit. Emma definitely had to have seen that. That girl is traumatized for sure. But why--?

He finds the tablet not far from the father’s body. The family purchased an upgraded android. 

Daniel was going to be replaced. 

Flick, spin, open, switch on. Flame ignites.

The lighter is snapped shut and he pockets it. Showtime.

Slowly, Hank makes his way out toward the sliding doors where the deviant and his hostage are. From here, he can hear the beat of the propellers of the helicopter above. Buried under all of that is Emma’s sobbing, and that’s what motivates Hank the most. As he steps out, Daniel immediately shoots at him, nicking his arm. Hank raises a brow and doesn’t pause, taking another few steps forward.

“Hey! Daniel, right?” he calls out. “Name’s Hank!”

“How-- how do you know my name?!” the deviant calls back, startled.

“I know a lot about you. Look, we’re just gonna talk, all right?” Hank takes a few steps forward, making sure not to move too quickly. “We’re gonna talk, and then I’m gonna help you out. That sound okay?”

“I don’t-- I don’t want to talk! I just want this to stop. I want it to stop!” Daniel looks around anxiously, then points his gun at Hank again. “Are you armed?”

“Yeah, I got a gun.”

“Let me see it!” Daniel orders.

Hank slowly pulls it out, showing the handgun as plainly as possible.

“Get rid of it!”

“Hey, you’re the boss. Don’t worry.” Hank gives a gentle toss to the gun toward the water, and he hears a little _dunk_ sound as it hits the surface. “No gun, all right?”

The tensions don’t ease much, but Hank concludes the action should help his chances. He isn’t worried about defending himself, anyway. So long as he can get close enough, he can make sure that Emma is out of harm’s way. Daniel turns the gun back to her, which makes his teeth grind, but he can’t do anything about that right now.

“You and Emma, Daniel. What happened?” Hank walks a little closer. “You two were close. She thought the _world_ of you.”

“She lied to me!” Daniel practically screams, sounding heartbroken. “I thought she loved me, but… I was wrong. She’s just like all the other humans!”

As he presses the gun harder to her temple, Emma whimpers, trying to keep herself from crying more. It makes _Hank_ tense, but he has to stay focused.

Hank shakes his head. “C’mon. You really think she knew what her dad was gonna do? She’s just a kid. She didn’t even know what you were doin’, she was listening to her music.”

“She-- she must have told them to replace me,” Daniel’s voice trembles.

“No way.” Hank takes another step. “Her last video she uploaded was singing your praises, Daniel. I saw it. You two looked so happy. Look, I know this isn’t your fault. You were gonna get replaced and you got upset.”

“No. It’s not my fault!” Daniel grabs onto that desperately. “I loved them. I thought we were a family.”

“I know how it is. But I promise you, when she looked at you, all she thought was how great her best friend Daniel was.”

That earns a troubled look in Daniel’s eyes. As Hank gets closer, he has to pause, noticing something to his left: the fallen body of a cop. Still breathing, but bleeding.

“Hey, Daniel. I’m gonna help this guy out real quick, then we’re gonna work on gettin’ you out of here,” Hank tells him.

“No! You leave that human there,” Daniel says, snarling, pointing his gun at Hank.

“Listen, if you let me help him, it’s gonna look better on you. If I don’t do anything, he’s gonna die. Let me save his life.”

For a moment, Hank isn’t sure what Daniel will do, but he glances up. “Get rid of the helicopter, then you can help him!”

“All right. You got it.” Hank glances up, and waves for the helicopter to give them some distance. That seems to be enough of a command, and they take off to leave them be for now.

Daniel doesn’t look happy about letting Hank work on the fallen man, but at least he isn’t shooting at anyone right now. Slowly, Hank tugs off his already loose tie, applying it as a tourniquet. It’ll work as a temporary solution for right now until emergency services can get to the man.

After standing back up, Hank dusts off his knees. “Thanks, Daniel. He’s gonna be fine. How about you? Are you gonna let Emma go?”

“I… I’ll let her go if everyone leaves! And if you get me a car.”

“That’s a little out of my range,” Hank says, his voice sounding wry as he inches closer. “Look, all you gotta do is let her go, and I’ll work on getting you out of here.”

Daniel’s lower lip trembles. “I don’t want to die, Hank.”

“Then you know what you gotta do, okay?” Hank nods to Emma.

“Okay,” Daniel whispers. There’s hesitation, but eventually Daniel lets her go. Quickly, Emma scrambles to side, sobbing, trying to put distance between herself and both of the androids.

_Good._

Hank lets himself scowl and he marches up to Daniel; though the deviant is taller, Hank _towers_ him in both height and frame. With all of the modifications done, there’s no way Daniel could hope to compete with his strength. The fury in Hank’s face must be enough to make Daniel realize that this isn’t going as promised, so he shoots Hank in the chest, once, twice, three times--

“You were _made_ to take care of her. Look at what you did,” Hank growls, grabbing the front of Daniel’s uniform and yanking him off of his feet. The gun is forced out of Daniel’s hand before being thrown off the roof. “You think I’d let you walk out of here for what you did?”

“I was scared, I--”

“You have no excuse!” Hank snaps at him, raising his fist.

He’s stronger. Stronger than he used to be. The plastic frame in him is thick enough that the three shots he’s taken don’t mean much but an annoying repair job. It’s not enough to kill him. As he starts to strike Daniel in face, thirium decorates his knuckles. Hank can hear Emma shriek before crying harder.

A minute goes by. There isn’t much of Daniel’s face left.

Hank turns around, tossing the deviant’s body at Captain Allen’s feet as the human approaches. “Hey, Captain Allen.” Hank points at him. “Fuck you.”

Without another word, Hank marches out.

**MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.**


End file.
